[south african president fires deputy health minister who actually made a difference]
Former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, an amazing, genuine, and driven person seems to be (or actually, was) one of the few forward-thinking and proactive people in politics in S.A. right now (certainly neither the the health minister nor Thabo Mbeki fall into either of these categories). Madlala-Routledge put into place and fully supported a radical aids/hiv treatment plan in S.A. which enabled sick people (free!) access to treatment. Now, with the "health" minister in charge (known as "Dr. Beetroot" because she champions beetroot in the fight against aids) numbers of suffers will surely rise beyond the already epidemic proportions and not only because she sees antiretroviral medicine as poison. I'm stunned and dismayed that the South African president would cut off his and the country's line of hope and positive action in the aids fight.
Read the excellent Independent article A President in Denial, a Ravaged Nation Denied Hope which features Madlala-Routledge's own response.
For an idea of the idiocy that Madlala-Routledge has been up against take a look at this crazy response which supports Mbeki's move (if only because the former deputy health minister has an "unnecessarily complicated name" and that she's a woman!)
NB I met Nozizwe on a trip to South Africa a couple of years ago but knowing her only makes it more explicit for me how wrong Mbeki's move is.
Labels: politics, south africa, women
posted by Jess @ 09:09
2 comments
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jess @ jesslaccetti.co.uk
2 Comments:
Yup, truly worrying move. I would say, however, that the article in the Cape Times is a satire. I was particularly fond of the paragraph "You must have known that in 2002, this refractory agitator was given an award by the Tanenbaum Centre for Interreligious Understanding, a shadowy group of Jews, Catholics, Hindus and Hippies with an apocalyptic vision of a world without guns and hatred."
Thanks for commenting Bruce.
Very worrying, you're right. However, viewing the iol article (I don't think it's the cape times you're talking about is it?) as satire means I'd have to slough if off...and it's just so extreme it bugs me too much! However, at least I'm part of an exciting-sounding "shaowy" group! The apocalyptic vision sounds like something Bush would agree with...
I wonder if it really was written as a joke...I'm re-reading the end of the article where the author "pledges":
"Wrapping up, I am not alone when I say that Manto is doing a magnificent job.
Not only is she contributing to national reconciliation by nursing a dead white boy's liver within her own body, but she continues to give the rest of us hope that we, too, can attain public office regardless of our affection for wine and whisky.
In closing, I would like to apply for the heretic mutineer's job.
I pledge to never take an HIV test without your permission.
I pledge to bring the minister beetroot and vodka smoothies whenever she is sick.
And I pledge never to go to Spain, Amanzimtoti or even the toilet unless you say I can."
What I'd like to know, who is the writer?!
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